Facets
by laurenbrown
Summary: A collection of oneshots for Sasusaku month. /Newest prompt: Glory/ Sasuke was never in it for the glory.
1. Dropping Your Guard

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Written for SasuSaku Month. This was originally just one chapter but I've decided to add some more prompts, so this will be a series of unrelated oneshots. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Prompt: Dropping Your Guard**

They meet every morning to spar. Only taijutsu is used, but Sakura knows that if they were to actually use chakra, she would stand no chance against the dark-haired male.

They trade blows in place of words. The Uchiha has never really been one for conversation, and Sakura is a bit tired of talking anyway. There is a rift between them that words can't cross. And hasn't it been said that two shinobi learn the most about each other while exchanging blows in battle?

Each always gives 100 percent during their spars, which is a relief to Sakura. Naruto pulls his punches, never taking her seriously and always letting her win. It is a sign of long awaited respect that Sasuke does not.

They strike each other like lightning, sharp and fast. Sakura is feeling particularly vengeful this morning. She lunges at Sasuke and unleashes a barrage of punches and graceful kicks.

She launches a right hook. '_Why can't I just forget you?'_

She bends low with a leg sweep. '_I've become someone without you dammit, so why?'_

A twist, then a kick from the side. '_Look at me. Look at how much I've grown since you were gone! (Are you proud?)'_

A midair strike. '_You missed so much of our lives. We missed so much of yours. Why did you have to leave us?'_

He has been on the defensive, blocking but not once striking back. '_I'm sorry.'_

They separate, panting. He finally attacks.

A left jab. '_I am who I am now because I left.'_

A lithe jump into the air. '_You are too.'_

A kick from behind. '_I don't regret it.'_

His foot connects. He has her pinned down. '_I know you still love me.'_

With a sharp intake of breath, Sakura hits the ground. They are both panting, their faces inches from each other, and for one second, Sakura allows herself to pretend that they aren't sparring at all. She meets his gaze and she could swear she sees something akin to emotion in it.

Then Sasuke rises and wipes the sweat off his forehead.

"Good fight," he intones as he strolls towards the bench to get a drink, and just like that, the walls are back up. Sakura wonders how much of her heart Sasuke has seen this time. She notes the irony of their relationship- that the only time either of them can let their guard down is when they are fighting.

They continue to train together, day after day, baring their souls in the only way they know how. And this is enough.

And when Sasuke tells her he loves her, Sakura smiles and says she already knows.

* * *

I know it's a bit unresolved. I really had a lot of ideas for this story. Feedback is very much appreciated.


	2. My Mistake

A/N: More light-hearted, more dialogue, and slight fangirl wish fulfillment on my part. Sigh.

* * *

**Prompt: My Mistake**

"Noooo Sasuke-kun, my hair isn't pink, it's _coral_," Sakura slurred insistently.

"My mistake," he drawled, rolling his eyes.

Drunk Sakura was in equal parts annoying and entertaining, Sasuke mused, as he half carried, half dragged the stumbling girl to her apartment. They had been out celebrating Naruto's 20th birthday, and after Sakura had climbed onto a table and attempted to serenade the rest of the bar, Sasuke had decided it was time for her to head home.

"Hey…hey Sas…"

"_Yes_, Sakura?"

"I got a ques…I got a question."

"No, Sakura, I am not going to tell you where I'm ticklish."

"Hey how'd you know I was gon' ask that?"

"…You always ask that when you're drunk, you annoying woman."

"Oh yeah… so why won' you tell me?"

"Because then you would be trying to tickle me."

"Heh…oh yeah."

"Tch."

"Hey…Sasu-chan…can I ask somethin' else?"

A twitch. "Yes."

"Why don't…Why don't you love me?"

Sasuke stopped short, effectively pulling Sakura back as well. She looked up at him questioningly. The Uchiha swallowed and continued walking.

Haltingly, "You don't want to be in love with someone like me, Sakura."

"Hey, don' tell me who I wan' be in love with!"

"…"

"Of course I wan' be in love with you, Sasu-chan! You're smart an' handsome an' funny an' sometimes you're mean an' kinda scary but mostly you're jus' funny an' cute an'-"

"_Cute?_"

"Yes! An' you're nice to me sometimes…an' when Kashi sensei ruffles your hair you act mad but not really that mad 'cuz you kinda like it an' even though you tried to kill Nar'to you never really could an' now you always have ramen in your kitchen for when he comes over…oh an' you always look kinda worried when I get hurt trainin' and you never never ever let other people down ever!"

A pause. "I always let you down."

"Yeah but not when it mattered 'cuz when it really mattered you were always there Sas'ke an' that always makes me so so happy!

A few seconds, and then, "Oh, I gotta hurl Sasuk-"

Only reflexes honed with years of training by the Uchiha prodigy allowed him to avoid the contents of Sakura's stomach as she promptly emptied them all over her dress and onto the ground. Sasuke only rubbed her back and sighed.

They walked another block and arrived at Sakura's apartment. As soon as they entered, he steered her to the bedroom, grabbed a clean pair of clothes from a drawer, and shoved them at his female teammate.

"Change," he demanded.

Sakura stared blankly at the clothes, and then looked back him for a moment before handing them back and raising her arms.

"You can't be serious," Sasuke bit out.

"Too tired…room's spinnin'…help me Sas'ke," she pleaded.

With an irritated huff, Sasuke efficiently pulled off her dress and helped her into a loose pair of pajamas. In truth, this had not been the first time he had been required to help her get into clean clothes, and he always made sure to finish the task quickly and while looking away, his ears slightly pink.

Sakura crawled into her bed and sighed sleepily. She tugged at Sasuke's sleeve and patted the other side of her mattress.

"Stay awhile," she mumbled. He sat down and Sakura turned to face him. She babbled quietly about her work at the hospital and about how Ino was doing and about a dozen other things. There were times when Sasuke had no idea what the girl was saying, but he listened and nodded and "hn"-ed nonetheless.

There was a lull in the (mostly one-sided) conversation. In a sudden moment of lucidity, Sakura's eyes flashed open and she directed her gaze towards Sasuke contemplatively.

"Do you think you could ever love me back?" she asked quietly.

There was no reply.

She closed her eyes. "I mean, I wouldn't stop loving you either way, but if there was any hope maybe it would be a little easier, you know?"

Sakura was already half asleep by the time she heard a soft "I could."

...

She woke the next morning to a killer headache and last night's dress sitting freshly laundered at her bedside.


	3. Rewind the Time

A/N: I had a modern AU in mind when I wrote this, but I suppose it doesn't really matter whether you read the story with that in mind. I also did not fully know where I was going with this until I actually started it. And I'm still pretty new to writing but I think SasuSaku month has really given me the push I need to start. Reviews would be lovely.

* * *

**Prompt: Rewind the Time**

Sakura traced constellations in the dark sky with her right hand, her left arm stretched under her head like a pillow. She cast a sideways glance at Sasuke, whose eyes were half-closed. In a sudden burst of nostalgia, she had asked him to go stargazing with her, something they had often done when they were younger. Sasuke would walk to her house in the quiet of 2 am and lightly tap her window. She would slip into flip-flops and follow this haunted (but oh, so beautiful) boy into the night. She would have followed him anywhere, back then.

Everything was simpler when they were that young, Sakura remembered wistfully, as she began to wonder if this had been a good idea. They were lying on the grass of an abandoned field in what Sakura thought – _hoped _– was a peaceful silence. There was no denying that their relationship was strained, though. It was distorted and frayed around the edges, never to be what it once was. But still, Sakura tried.

"Hey, Sasuke?" she ventured.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"If you could rewind time, go back to when we were kids, would you do anything differently?" Sakura held her breath.

After a pause, Sasuke closed his eyes, "No."

Sakura turned her head and stared, wide-eyed. "Nothing?" she persisted, ignoring the heavy feeling in her chest.

"Nothing." There was no use lamenting the past, in Sasuke's opinion.

Sakura tried not to feel the waves of hurt that threatened to swallow her.

"What about you?" Sasuke muttered, sensing her distress.

Sakura swallowed thickly, "I would…I would have tried to be a better friend, to you and to Naruto. Maybe if I had been nicer, Naruto would have someone to cheer him up instead of always having to be the one who makes everyone else happy. Maybe if I had – I had been able to understand you better you wouldn't have drifted away from us." It took an inordinate amount of willpower for Sakura to finish her last sentence.

"It wasn't your fault. It had nothing to do with you," came Sasuke's reassurance (Or his dismissal, Sakura amended bitterly).

Sasuke knew he had hurt them when he had suddenly stopped speaking to Naruto and Sakura. But, Sakura wondered, what could he know of all the sleepless nights she had endured, aching with longing and inadequacy. And what of Naruto's stricken gaze when he had seen Sasuke stare right through him and wave in greeting to Suigetsu at school. And what could Sasuke _possibly _know of that day when Sakura had lain in the rain and wept and hurt and broke when she saw Karin's arms draped around his shoulders and him not pulling away and _I thought we were special, Sasuke I thought we were your best friends I thought you loved us I thought you would stay I thought we were enough I thought-_

Sakura sighed. Sasuke did come back to them, in the end. He had come back different, hardened, bitter, and more closed off than before, but he did come back. Sakura supposed she should be thankful for that.

"Hey Sasuke, remember how the three of us used to go exploring in the forest together?" Sakura mused fondly.

"Yeah, and one time the dobe got poison ivy all over himself. He couldn't stop scratching for days," Sasuke smirked.

Laughing, Sakura added, "And then he asked you to help him apply cream to his rashes. I don't think I had ever seen you more outraged!"

"Don't remind me," Sasuke scowled.

"Oh, and remember that time my mom dressed you and Naruto up as cats for Halloween?" Sakura giggled, "You guys looked sooooo adorable."

"Sakura…" Sasuke fumed.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Sakura caught her breath. Then her expression softened. "You always came and took me stargazing when you couldn't sleep. I treasured those nights," she admitted.

"Aa," the Uchiha closed his eyes.

Sakura's fingers kept tracing constellations as she breathed, "You know, the night sky is really just a record of the past. The starlight we're seeing has already travelled for years and years towards Earth, but we're only seeing it now because it just got close enough to be visible to us. We're seeing the stars as they once were, not as they are now."

The poetic nature of the situation was not lost on Sasuke. _How fitting_, he thought, _that they were paying tribute to their own past while stargazing._

But not all things between them had to change.

"I've never taken anyone else out here," Sasuke admitted quietly.

Sakura smiled and thought about forever.

"Thank you, Sasuke."


	4. Exposed

A/N: I have a thing for cliches. I apologize.

* * *

**Prompt: Exposed**

She twists her silky pink tresses atop her head and pins them into a sleek updo. Mascara and shimmery gold coat her eyes while glittering crystals dangle from her ears, framing sculpted cheekbones and a defined jaw. Gone are the days of blushing innocence and puffed up cheeks. Wine red lips settle into a hard line. Sakura stares into the mirror and does not recognize what she sees.

Standing at the edge of the banquet hall, too-tight satin dress clinging to her body and champagne glass in hand, she has never felt more exposed in her life. Ignoring the pair of eyes on her, Sakura surveys the room - Naruto is already halfway drunk and making Hinata blush with his boisterous comments, Ino is busy flirting with a handsome stranger while Shikamaru stares on moodily, and Tenten has managed to drag Neji to the dance floor.

...

_She lies her head on his shoulder as they watch the fireworks from the beach. His lips on her hair set her body aflame and she thinks that this is what it's like to be in love._

...

Making sure to look anywhere but in his direction, Sakura fixes her dress. She had known he would be here. After all, anyone who is anyone is invited to the Hyuuga family's annual gala. And the now-oldest heir to the famed Uchiha Corporation is certainly someone. Sakura swishes the champagne around in her mouth and wonders if he has brought a date.

She smiles politely at the men who ask her if they may have this dance (like he never did) and shakes her head no, her earrings catching the light. Her head spins and her feet ache. She does not want to dance, tonight. Alcohol keeps her company as all of her other friends talk and laugh and fall in love.

...

_"Come on, I really like this song!" she tugs at him, smiling, until he sighs and gets up from his seat on the ground. An old pop ballad plays on the radio as he holds her close and they sway in the moonlight._

...

"Sakura," she hears from behind her. She refuses to turn, not this time, not after everything. So she stares ahead and pretends not to hear the voice that has said - drawled, yelled, murmured - her name so many times.

But then she feels his breath on the back of her neck, senses his body just inches from hers, and her eyes widen with panic. She quickly spins around, backing away a few feet.

"Sasuke," she whispers, taking in his face, all sharp angles and dark intensity. For a second she is sixteen and head over heels again. Then, Sakura catches herself. "How are you doing?" she asks cooly.

He frowns slightly. "I'm well." Then, "Would you like to dance?"

Sakura is struck dumb. Sasuke Uchiha has just asked her to dance. Sasuke Uchiha has just asked her to dance. She is too shocked to come back with a witty retort, and the only thing she can do is nod mutely and follow him to the floor.

She wraps her arms around his neck and his hands fall easily to her waist. Sakura looks anywhere but Sasuke's face. She has thought about what she would say when they finally met again, gone over the conversation a thousand times in her mind, but now that he is here, Sakura does not feel like saying anything at all.

"How is the search for a wife going?" She finally manages.

"Badly. I recently told my father I had decided I would like to choose my own wife," Sasuke replies, staring at her intently.

Sakura swallows, "And how did he take that?"

"Not well. We're not on speaking terms."

"I'm sorry." And she is.

Later, he offers to walk her home, because the city of Konoha can be dangerous at night for a girl who's too pretty for her own good. She accepts because it is the adult thing to do (or at least that's what she tells herself). They make small talk, catching up on each other's lives, and Sakura desperately wants to ask, "Did you miss me at all? Did you miss me like I missed you?" He was her first love, she thinks. He was her only love and he walked away like it was nothing. Her heart clenches.

Sasuke directs his smoldering gaze at her for one second. Then, as if he can read her mind, "I missed you, Sakura."

And it should be too little too late, it really should, but Sakura has never been able to refuse Sasuke- has never been able to doubt the sincerity of his words. So she invites him up to her apartment and Sakura knows she might be ripped to pieces. And she does not care.

...

_He breaks up with her on a hot summer night. He says they are headed down different paths, that they would only hold each other back. He tells her that his family has already started searching for a suitable wife for him, and that she should try to move on too. She does not say anything while he talks; she will not degrade herself to pleading and begging. But she cannot help the broken tears that trickle down her face, cannot help but tremble as he places his lips on her forehead and whispers, "I'm sorry, Sakura."_

...

She pours them each a drink. It ignites Sasuke's throat like a match to gasoline, and he wonders when she started taking her liquor hard._ When did you grow up without me?_

The room spins a little as Sakura pours her third round.

"I really hate you, you know that?" she informs him icily. Sitting there, legs crossed in her sleek red dress, hair pinned up and green eyes flashing, she looks like a vengeful goddess.

Sasuke runs his hands through his hair. "I know."

"Good. I can't believe I was in love with you for so long. Was any of it even real to you? Any of it?" To hell with pride and moving on. She has to know.

"All of it was. Every second." He means it more than he has ever meant anything.

She feels something burning in her eyes and nose and wills herself to keep her composure. Like hell Sasuke is going to see her cry.

"I think you should leave now, Sasuke. Thanks for walking me home." Her voice does not shake.

He stands and thanks her for the drink. She leads him to the door.

"Sakura, I…" He looks at her face and cannot finish. He settles for brushing his lips to her cheek and leaving.

Sakura closes the door and silently lets the tears fall.

Twenty minutes later, she picks up the phone and dials the number she knows by heart.

"Hello?" His voice is like silk, she thinks.

Weakly, "H-hey Sasuke."

"What's wrong, Sakura?" It's not fair. He sounds even more beautiful when he's worried.

"If I stop pushing you away, do you promise not to tear me apart?"

He draws a deep breath. "I promise."

And she believes him.

Sasuke rises from the seat he has taken at steps of her apartment (because he could not bear to leave her alone, not again, and what a girl she must be, to make _the_ Sasuke Uchiha keep vigil on her doorstep) and strides into the building.

Sakura opens the door before he has a chance to knock. He steps in slowly.

"You stayed." It is not a question. Deep down, Sakura had probably known he would. After all these years, she still knows him inside and out.

"Aa."

And then she pulls his face down and kisses him with bitter longing on her lips and he kisses back like I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry and a dam has broken and she tries not to drown.

She rips his dress shirt open, buttons flying off, as his hands get tangled in her hair, updo tumbling down in a waterfall of soft pink. Her own dress slips off and then Sasuke pulls away, panting.

"Sakura, are you sure you-"

"Just shut up and take me, Sasuke."

And so he does.


	5. A Hot Cup of Tea

A/N: Because a shamelessly forward Sakura is always fun.

* * *

**Prompt: A Hot Cup of Tea**

Sakura set a hot cup of tea in front of Sasuke and glared at him.

"This is what happens when you overwork yourself," she huffed. _Honestly_, who would accept Naruto's challenge of a foot race around the village in the winter rain wearing nothing but short sleeves? They were both idiots. And then Sasuke had dragged himself to her apartment all red-eyed and feverish and she was stuck taking care of him. There went her day off from the hospital. Naruto, equally sick, had crawled over to Hinata's house and was probably driving the poor girl insane. At least that meant one less baka Sakura had to deal with.

"I don't like tea," her grumpy charge muttered.

Sakura put her hands on her hips and her glare intensified. "And I don't like black-eyed, raven haired, kusanagi toting, constantly scowling, emotionally stunted _idiot_ teammates, but you don't see me complaining-"

"_Emotionally stunted?"_

"-AND this tea was made from herbs specially mixed to combat fever and sickness, so drink up if you want to get better."

Sasuke shot her a nasty look and snatched the still-steaming cup from the table. He emptied it in one gulp before abruptly choking and slamming the cup down.

Gagging silently, he seethed at her, "What. The. Hell. Is. In. This."

Sakura inspected her nails boredly. "Oh come on, Sasuke, don't be a baby. It really wasn't that bad."

Sasuke looked ready to throttle her. One had to give the boy credit. Even as his body was wracked with feverish chills and coated with a sheen of sweat, he still managed to look intimidating.

Sakura was unimpressed. "Alright, now let's get wittle Sasu-chan into the shower."

"What?!" Sasuke looked scandalized.

Disappearing into the hallway, Sakura came back with a towel and a pair of men's clothing.

"Sasuke, honey, I love you, I really do. But frankly, you stink. You have not showered since you ran that race yesterday with Naruto, and you smell like ass mixed with sweat. And all that buildup can't be good for your health either. So let's get you up and into the shower."

Sakura put his arm around her shoulder and dragged him toward the bathroom with eerie ease. Lightly pushing him in, she closed the door behind him and chirped, "Let me know if you need any help getting out of your clothes or getting into the tub. I'd love to ogle- I mean assist- you!"

Sasuke muttered profanities under his breath. Life had been so much easier when Sakura had worshipped him unquestioningly. At least she could be shut up back then. Now, not even his signature glower could faze her. Annoying.

* * *

Ten minutes later, a freshly showered Sasuke stumbled out, clutching his side.

"Sak-ra I don't feel so good…" he swayed.

She barely had time to usher him back into the bathroom and over the toilet before he emptied his stomach of its contents.

As he heaved, hands braced on either side of the bowl, Sasuke felt cool fingers hold his damp bangs back (Sakura would later snicker at him for having hair so long it had to be held back, like a _girl's_).

She brought him a cup a water, and he rinsed his mouth then drank the rest. He laid his pounding head on the cold tile and willed the world to stop spinning.

"C'mon kiddo, let's get you to bed."

* * *

Sasuke floated in and out of consciousness, in between hot flashes and cold chills. He felt someone gently massaging his forehead, and leaned into the touch with a sigh.

Sakura smiled fondly at the feverish man-turned-boy lying in her bed. Then, she heard him mumbling.

"_mmmphgn...Sak…"_

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"_Sak...ra...pretty…"_

The kunoichi grinned mischieviously. "Oh? And just how is Sakura pretty?"

"_Pretty...eyes...soft...hair…hng..._"

"Sounds like she's a catch, huh?"

"_...mmm...yeah...buh don' tell her...okay?_"

Sakura chuckled softly as she left the room.

* * *

Hours later, Sasuke emerged from the bedroom, hair sticking up in all directions and eyes narrowed against the light. Sakura, who had been lazing around on her couch with a novel, eyed him clinically.

"Feeling better?"

"Aa," he muttered, then "Thanks for taking care of me."

"No problem, but I hope you've learned your lesson, Mr. Macho."

"Hn."

"You're probably starving." Sakura got up and grabbed two plates of rice and fish from the kitchen. They ate on the couch in amiable silence.

Sasuke sighed. "Sakura, why are you smiling at me like an idiot?"

"Oh, no reason," she sang.

"_Sakura._"

She shrugged lightly and her smile grew a wider. "Oh, you're just really open when you're sick."

Sasuke groaned. "What did I say?"

Sakura burst into laughter, "Oh, nothing."

Sasuke grabbed her wrist, "Tell me."

In between giggling fits, she gasped, "So you think I'm pretty, huh Sasuke?"

His face paled.

"And I have pretty eyes and soft hair?" she teased.

Sasuke choked on his spit and dropped his teammate's wrist like it was on fire.

Sakura threw an arm around his neck, "It's okay to admit it, Sasuke. Greater men than you have succumbed to these killer looks." She tossed her hair dramatically.

She glanced back at him. "Eh? Hey...you're not getting sick again are you? Sasuke? Sasuke?!"


	6. Glory

A/N: This one took me a while, but I'm not really sure what to make of it. Tell me what you think?

* * *

**Prompt: Glory**

Sasuke was never in it for the glory.

It was not glory he sought when he swore vengeance against Itachi, training until his knuckles bled and his shoulders shook with suffocating grief. It was not glory he thought of when he jumped between Haku's senbon and Naruto, willingly giving up his life for a friend. Nor did he care for glory when he sold his body and soul for power from the deepest, darkest parts of hell. And it certainly was not glory that drove Sasuke to declare war on Konoha with red eyes bleeding of loss and _for nii-san for nii-san for nii-san _beating against his skull.

Sasuke has always hated the appreciative roar of a crowd, has only ever wanted to silence the demons in his head. _Never again_, he always thinks when he wakes up sweat-soaked from nightmares of blood on blood and _sharingan_ and beloved dead bodies –_never again_. Sasuke has seen too many precious people bleed for one lifetime. To hell with recognition and fame. He only wants to see his loved ones happy and safe.

Sasuke has never had time for honor or renown – that is more Naruto's thing. Naruto, with all his talk of carved faces in stone mountains and cheering crowds and "Believe it!"'s, craves glory like an elixir. And Sasuke has never begrudged Naruto that, because it is a noble thing to strive for heroism, he supposes.

And Sasuke has never been jealous of the attention that Naruto gains from others (except for that time when it came from Itachi, because why did Itachi never pay attention to _him_, dammit?). Sasuke is only bitter when he sees Naruto's abilities pull ahead of his own, because the only standard that has ever mattered to Sasuke was his own (and his father's and brother's of course, but they're gone).

And Sasuke knows that Sakura may have thought of him as a hero back in their genin days, may have wanted him to be _her_ hero so very badly, even though he had told her time and again that he was an avenger, nothing more, nothing less. Back then, he was always letting her down.

Now Sakura knows not to expect too much of him, and Sasuke likes to keep it that way. She does not need to know that he watches her trudge home tiredly from the late shift at the hospital, just to make sure she reaches home. She certainly does not need to know who drapes a blanket over her when she falls asleep at her desk, or who keeps her in his line-of-sight whenever they are engaged in combat against an enemy. Sakura will never know that Sasuke only pretends not to like sweets so he can give his portion to her (Sakura has always loved dessert), and that she is the only one special enough for his rare half-smiles. Sakura will never know Sasuke loves her, and he is okay with that. He was never in it for the glory.

That is why, when he is handed a scroll marked _S-Ranked _and sees that Sakura will be one of his teammates, he almost objects. _It's is too dangerous for her_, he wants to protest, having read the mission details, _what if she gets hurt?_ But Sasuke is aware that she is the only medic qualified for the mission, and that the village's fragile reconstruction may very well hinge on their completion of this task. He says nothing, and instead silently vows to protect her.

* * *

They are ambushed just as the sun kisses the sky. Their team fights valiantly, although not without losses. Four injured, three dead, one medic, one still fighting. Sakura pours her chakra into her teammates, healing two at a time like it is nothing. But it will still take a few minutes, and Sasuke holds off their attackers with efficient speed and lethal grace.

Then, their aim shifts. They send their poison blades towards Sakura, who looks up a second too late. And Sasuke knows shinobi law like the back of his hand; '_The medic is the last to die. Save the medic, save the mission' _has been beaten into his mind since he was a child. But in this moment, none of that occurs to him. He does not think of glory either. (Glory is a self-serving goal, and for all his faults, Sasuke's actions have never been self-serving. Everything he has ever done, including – _especially _– revenge, has been for the sake of the people he loves.)

The only thing he thinks as his blood pounds and his legs throw him into the air is _save her, save her, SAVE HER._

And then he is crashing down, body impaled by sleek metal dripping with death. His ears ring, vision blurs, mouth coughs blood. The rest of the team, now mostly healed, strikes back at the enemy with a vengeance. Sakura is by his side, her glowing hands steady but her face shaking with tears. He cannot hear what she is screaming at him, cannot hear anything at all. He stares glassily at her, all pink and green blurring around the edges, and thinks to himself that this is the ideal way to die: hearing nothing and touched only by love.

Already, Sasuke can see his name, all hard lines and black strokes, freshly carved into the village memorial stone. Kakashi will have one more person to think of, when he stands in that open field every morning. Sasuke hopes Sakura and Naruto will visit too, at least sometimes. Just to prove that he was really there, that his life was not just an endless cycle of hatred and blood, that it had meant something in the end.

He lies there as feeling leaves his body and his pulse fades to nothing. With the last of his strength, he pulls Sakura's wrist down until her face is directly above his. He wants her green eyes to be the last thing he ever sees.

Sasuke will never live to see 30, or grow grey hair, or find out what Kakashi's face looks like. He will never share more than these past 19 years with his friends, or see Konoha fully rebuilt, or watch little Uchiha children run around his estate.

Sasuke will never be able to tell Naruto what an inspiration, what a journey, what an _honor_ their friendship has been (despite their disputes), will never be able to tell Kakashi how truly sorry he is for betraying the copy nin's rarely-earned faith, will never be able to tell Sakura he loves her.

Only his name and memory will live on, spoken with pride and honor as others exalt his skill and sacrifice.

Sasuke was never in it for glory, but maybe glory is all he is ever going to get.


End file.
